_  i 


THE  WOMAN’S  BAPTIST 
FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 


MISSIONARY  ROOMS,  TREMONT  TEMPLE, 
Boston,  Massachusetts, 

1891. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/twentyyearsofgleOObail 


(Utoertfy  ^/earA  of5  ©^Pearling. 


- 

A  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WOMAN’S  BAPTIST  FOREIGN 

MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 

By  Frances  Stoughton  Bailey. 

- - 

And  she  said,  I  pray  you,  let  me  glean  and  gather  after  the  reapers  among  the 
sheaves;  so  she  came,  and  hath  continued  even  from  the  morning  until  now, — 
Ruth  ii.  7. 

\  I  /HE  “  Security  Safe,”  in  Washington,  has  a  door  which  is  said  to  weigh 
pjl  (g  fifteen  tons,  and  yet  so  nicely  is  it  adjusted  that  the  hand  of  a  delicate 
woman  can  move  it  upon  its  hinges.  The  mighty  portal  of  God’s 
providence  cannot  be  forced  by  any  power  on  earth,  but  it  may  be  set  ajar 
by  the  prayers  of  consecrated  womanhood. 

Twenty  years  ago  the  women  of  our  churches  stood  upon  the  threshold  of 
a  great  opportunity,  and  heard  the  voice  of  Christ  saying  to  them,  “  Behold, , 
I  have  set  before  thee  a  door  opened  which  none  can  shut .”  How  the  path 
upon  which  they  entered  then  with  hesitating  feet  has  constantly  unfolded 
before  them  ;  how  wonderfully  they  have  been  strengthened  and  guided  and 
led  on,  —  of  these  things  much  might  be  said,  but  we  can  give  only  outlines. 

It  is  natural  to  desire  to  trace  an  effect  to  its  cause,  but  it  is  given  to  no 
human  hand  to  gather  in  its  grasp  all  the  threads  of  circumstance  which  go 
to  the  weaving  of  history.  It  is  not  difficult  to  name  the  immediate  in¬ 
fluences  which  led  to  the  formation  of  the  Woman’s  Baptist  Foreign  Mis¬ 
sionary  Society,  but  there  must  be  many  others  known  only  to  Him  who 
sees  the  end  from  the  beginning. 

The  dawn  of  the  nineteenth  century  found  American  women  awakening 
to  the  needs  of  the  heathen  world.  In  the  year  1800,  two  months  before 
Carey  baptized  his  first  Hindu  convert,  the  Boston  Female  Society  for  Mis¬ 
sionary  Purposes  was  formed,  including,  for  a  time  at  least,  both  Baptists  and 
Congregationalists.  Although  not  strictly  a  foreign  mission  organization, 
its  members  soon  became  interested  in  the  labors  of  the  English  Baptists  in 


4 


India.  A  Miss  Mary  Webb  seems  to  have  acted  as  both  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Her  name  is  one  which  Boston  Baptists  should  not  suffer  to  be 
forgotten.  A  helpless  cripple,  with  little  of  this  world’s  goods,  she  could 
have,  one  would  say,  only  a  limited  sphere  of  usefulness;  but  God  “  hath 
chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  things  which  are 
mighty.”  One  of  the  most  active  workers  in  Dr.  Baldwin's  church,  her 
sympathies  were  not  confined  to  her  own  parish  ;  her  little  green  baize  hand- 
carriage  was  seen  wherever  there  was  poverty  or  suffering  in  Boston  ;  she 
organized  benevolent  societies  among  young  and  old  ;  she  put  herself  in  cor¬ 
respondence  with  nearly  sixty  associations  of  women  in  different  parts  of 
the  United  States  ;  she  inaugurated  a  monthly  concert  of  prayer  among 
them;  and  her  communications  which  appeared  in  the  “Baptist  Missionary 
Magazine  ”  show  a  mind  of  no  mean  ability. 

In  1 8 1 1  the  Boston  Female  Society  voted  to  appropriate  its  entire  con_ 
tribution  for  that  year,  amounting  to  two  hundred  dollars,  “  to  the  transla¬ 
tion  of  the  Scriptures  by  the  missionaries  of  Serampore  in  Bengal.”  In 
1813  it  devoted  a  part  of  its  funds,  over  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  dollars, 
to  foreign  missions,  other  organizations  following  its  example  ;  and  we  learn, 
from  the  magazine  above  referred  to,  that  “  spinning,  weaving,  and  knitting 
societies  are  multiplying  with  a  view  to  aid  the  great  object  of  sending  the 
Gospel  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.” 

An  officer  in  the  first  association  of  women  in  this  country  which  con¬ 
tributed  to  foreign  missions,  these  offerings  being  without  doubt  due  to  her 
efforts,  may  we  not  hope  for  some  memorial  which  shall  permanently  con¬ 
nect  the  name  of  Mary  Webb  with  the  work  of  the  Woman’s  Baptist 
Foreign  Missionary  Society? 

On  the  nth  of  April,  1814,  a  Woman’s  Missionary  Society  was  formed 
in  the  Fayette  Street  Church,  now  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany,  New  York, 
Mrs.  John  Cauldwell,  president.  The  ladies  had  been  meeting  to  pray  that 
they  might  be  directed  to  some  special  object,  when  in  answer  came,  like  a 
trumpet  call,  the  appeal  of  Judson.  From  Miss  F.  M.  Newton's  interesting 
sketch  of  the  Society,  we  learn  of  its  correspondence  with  Mr.  Newell  and 
the  Judsons,  and  of  the  long  line  of  missionaries  which,  from  that  day  to 
this,  have  been  blessed  by  its  benefactions.  We  congratulate  this  veteran 
of  seventy-seven  years,  and  bid  it  “  God-speed  !  ” 

These  and  many  kindred  movements  awakened  interest  in  foreign 
missions  among  the  women  of  our  churches  ;  but  it  was  not  until  1861  that 
an  organization  arose  whose  object  was  to  work  by  women,  through  women, 
for  women  in  heathen  lands.  This  was  the  Woman’s  Union  Missionary 


5 


Society,  which,  though  undenominational,  owes  its  existence  to  the  sugges¬ 
tion  of  Mrs.  Mason,  a  Baptist  missionary  in  Burma.  From  the  first  there 
were  Baptists  among  its  members  ;  but,  as  one  after  the  other  our  Congre- 
gationalist,  Presbyterian,  and  Methodist  sisters  established  auxiliaries, 
some  in  our  own  churches  began  to  dream  of  a  similar  organization.  Other 
influences  were  working  toward  this  end. 

The  wife  of  one  of  our  missionaries  in  Burma,  already  overburdened  with 
her  regular  duties,  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  need  of  teachers  for  the 
native  women  and  children  who  thronged  her  doors,  —  untaught,  uncared 
for,  unsaved.  She  was  only  one  of  many  similarly  situated ;  but  she  had  a 
sister  in  the  United  States,  and  to  her  she  pours  out  the  desires  of  her 
heart.  In  one  of  these  letters  she  says,  “  I  have  felt  sorely  tried  to  be  con¬ 
fined  by  the  school  and  thus  prevented  from  accompanying  my  husband  in 
his  jungle  trips,  where  he  greatly  needs  me  and  where  I  can  meet  with  the 
women  as  he  cannot.”  In  another  she  writes,  “  We  are  waiting,  —  I  can 
scarcely  say  hoping;  for  nearly  every  hope,  except  God  himself,  is  slipping 
away.”  In  a  letter  dated  Nov.  23,  1870,  we  find  these  words  :  “  We  are 
doing  all  we  have  strength  for,  but  the  wheels  turn  heavily  and  we  see  the 
harvest  perishing  for  the  lack  of  reapers.  Pray  for  us.  I  am  not  sure  that 
you  yourselves  have  not  a  work  to  do  for  missions  at  home,  — the  forming 
of  women’s  missionary  societies  auxiliary  to  the  Missionary  Union.  I 
believe  that  is  the  true  course.”  Mrs.  Carpenter’s  sfiggestion  took  deep 
root  in  the  heart  of  her  sister,  Mrs.  Hovey,  who  laid  the  proposition  before 
others.  It  was  a  serious  matter,  and  even  Mrs.  Hovey’s  wisdom  and  execu¬ 
tive  ability  might  have  been  unequal  to  the  task,  had  not  the  undertaking 
found  cordial  supporters.  The  foremost  of  these  was  Mrs.  Gardner  Colby. 
To  quote  the  words  of  another:  “  From  the  first  suggestion  she  gave  the 
plan  her  warmest  sympathy  and  unstinted  effort  and  liberal  gifts.  While 
many  were  doubtful,  she  was  full  of  courage  and  faith.  It  was  her  personal 
appeal,  as  she  visited  day  after  day,  that  secured  the  interest  and  co-opera¬ 
tion  of  influential  ladies.  Of  her  devotion  too  much  cannot  be  said.” 

A  mission  circle  having  been  formed  in  the  church  at  Newton  Centre, 
Mass.,  a  meeting  was  held  there  on  Feb.  11,  1871,  for  the  purpose  of  con¬ 
sulting  as  to  the  formation  of  a  “  Woman’s  Missionary  Society  for  the 
benefit  of  women  in  heathen  lands,”  to  act  in  connection  with  the  Mission¬ 
ary  Union.  A  suitable  constitution  having  been  prepared,  and  circulars 
distributed  among  the  churches  in  that  vicinity,  a  meeting  was  convened 
April  3,  in  the  Clarendon  Street  Church,  Boston,  at  which  two  hundred 
women  were  present,  and  accepted  the  constitution  then  presented.  At  an 


6 


adjourned  meeting,  held  April  io,  at  the  same  place,  the  following  officers 
were  elected:  President ,  Mrs.  Gardner  Colby;  Vice-Presidents ,  Mrs.  J.  M. 
Hoyt,  Mrs.  T.  D.  Anderson,  Mrs.  A.  C.  Kendrick,  Mrs.  C.  F.  Tolman, 
Mrs.  G.  W.  Bosworth,  Mrs.  A.  K.  P.  Small;  Recording  Secretary ,  Mrs. 
J.  M.  S.  Williams;  Correspo7idmg  Secretary ,  Mrs.  M.  H.  Bixby;  Treas¬ 
urer,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Merrill. 

By  the  payment  of  $1.00  a  woman  might  become  a  member  of  the  Society 
for  one  year;  by  the  payment  of  $25  dollars  at  one  time,  a  life  member. 
The  leaders  in  this  movement  had  laid  broad  foundations.  Their  thought 
was  of  an  organization  which  was  to  unite  in  one  body  the  Baptist  women  of 
America;  but  this  was  not  to  be.  Important  discoveries  and  inventions 
have  often  been  made  simultaneously  in  different  places,  and  the  same  is 
true  of  philanthropic  movements.  An  impulse  like  that  which  moved  the 
women  of  the  East  had  been  stirring  the  hearts  of  their  sisters  at  the  West. 
The  overtures  which  were  made  to  the  latter  were,  however,  not  accepted; 
and  word  was  soon  received  that  a  Woman’s  Missionary  Society  had  been 
formed,  with  headquarters  at  Chicago.  There  are  now  two  others;  one  in 
California,  and  another  in  Oregon. 

The  new  venture  was  cordially  welcomed  by  the  missionaries.  An 
extract  from  a  letter  received  from  Mrs.  Ingalls  may  serve  as  an  example  of 
the  expressions  of  approval  which  came  from  this  source.  She  says:  “I 
need  not  tell  you  that  my  heart  is  with  you  in  this  great  movement.  I 
foresaw  all  this  years  ago,  and  now  I  render  thanks  to  God,  and  would  like 
to  take  you  all  by  the  hand.” 

The  society  was  not  to  remain  long  without  representatives  in  the  field. 
Miss  Kate  F.  Evans,  of  Painesville,  Virginia,  had  for  five  years  been  asking 
the  Missionary  Union  to  give  her  opportunity  to  work  for  the  heathen. 
The  Union  had  sent  out  a  few  single  women,  and  these  had  done  good 
service  ;  but  that  body  was  not  then  disposed  to  carry  further  what  was 
regarded  as  an  experiment.  Miss  Evans  at  once  responded  to  an  invitation 
to  meet  the  Woman’s  Board  in  Boston  ;  and  on  Dec.  16,  1871,  our  first  mis¬ 
sionary  sailed  for  Burma,  in  company  with  the  first  missionary  of  the 
Woman’s  Society  of  the  West.  The  message  which  Miss  Evans  on  arrival 
sent  to  the  Board  which  had  opened  the  way  for  her,  was  more  like  a  shout 
of  victory  than  like  the  words  of  one  far  from  friends,  in  a  strange  land, 
about  to  enter  upon  a  new  and  arduous  life-work.  She  wrote  :  “  In  Burma 
at  last !  All  the  weary  years  of  waiting  and  of  heart-sickening  disappoint¬ 
ment  seem  like  a  dream  now.  To  be  here  is  ample  compensation  for  all.” 
It  was  expected  that  she  would  go  to  Toungoo;  but  Providence  (and  Mrs. 


7 


Ingalls)  designed  otherwise,  and  her  appointment  was  by  request  transferred 
to  Thongzai,  which  has  never  since  been  able  to  spare  her. 

The  officers  were  untiring  in  their  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  Society. 
A  great  amount  of  writing  was  undertaken,  to  gain  necessary  information, 
and  to  awaken  interest  among  the  churches.  Mrs.  Bixby’s  services  were 
simply  invaluable.  At  great  personal  inconvenience,  she  made  many  jour¬ 
neys  to  address  meetings;  and  though,  as  she  said,  her  bag  of  curios  was 
often  heavy,  her  heart  was  always  light,  for  she  thought,  “  When  once  our 
women  know  the  great  need,  there  will  never  again  be  lack  of  interest,  or 
money,  or  prayers.”  Poor  Mrs.  Bixby !  She  was  fresh  from  a  heathen 
country,  and  knew  more  about  the  habits  of  converted  Karens  than  about 
the  ways  of  American  Christians. 

The  years  have  wrought  few  changes  among  the  officers.  The  Society 
was  greatly  blessed  in  its  first  President.  Mrs.  Colby’s  interest  in  it  has 
never  flagged.  Her  presence  in  its  meetings  has  been  an  inspiration,  while 
her  words  have  followed  its  departing  missionaries  like  a  benediction. 
What  it  owes  to  her  efforts,  her  benefactions,  and  her  prayers,  eternity 
alone  will  fully  tell.  For  twenty  years  she  has  carried  it  upon  her  heart,  as 
the  High  Priest  bore  the  names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  When,  one 
year  ago,  feeling  her  strength  no  longer  equal  to  the  responsibilities  of  her 
position,  she  refused  renomination,  she  was  made  Honorary  President  of 
the  Society,  and  an  honorary  member  of  the  Board  for  life.  Her  successor, 
Miss  Sarah  C.  Durfee,  has,  with  rare  wisdom  and  executive  ability  and  with 
unswerving  devotion,  served  for  nineteen  years  as  State  Se  :retary  for  Rhode 
Island,  and  for  fourteen  years  as  Clerk  of  the  Society  and  of  the  Board. 
The  office  of  Clerk  of  the  Board  was  previously,  for  a  time,  filled  by  Miss 
A.  L.  Pierce.  The  present  efficient  Clerk  is  Mrs.  G.  W.  Dean. 

In  1872,  Mrs.  Bixby,  whose  self-denying  labors  had  undermined  her 
health,  tendered  her  resignation  as  Corresponding  Secretary  ;  and  Mrs.  Car¬ 
penter,  then  in  this  country,  was  elected  to  that  position  and  held  it  until 
her  return  to  Burma,  two  years  later,  when  her  mantle  fell  upon  her  sister^ 
Mrs.  Hovey,  to  whom  the  Society  already  owed  so  much.  In  1872,  Miss 
Mary  E.  Clarke  became  Assistant  Secretary,  and  continued  as  such  for 
eleven  years.  When,  in  1883,  Mrs.  Plovey  in  turn  laid  down  the 
burdens  of  the  office,  to  which  she  had  devoted  herself  with  tireless 
energy  for  eleven  years,  she  left  them  in  competent  hands.  The  first  State 
Secretary  to  be  appointed  had  been  Mrs.  O.  W.  Gates,  for  Connecticut, 
in  1871.  In  two  years  she  removed  to  California;  but  during  this  brief 
time  she  had  organized  auxiliaries  in  half  the  churches  in  the  State, 


8 


and  the  Board  parted  from  her  with  regret,  entering  upon  its  records  this 
plaintive  reflection, — “Though  lost  to  us,  we  are  sure  she  is  not  lost  to  the 
cause.”  It  often  happens  that  our  resignation  to  the  apparently  irreparable 
is  barely  registered  when  we  find  the  occasion  for  it  past.  Mrs.  Gates, 
having  returned  from  California,  was  in  1882  made  Associate  Corresponding 
Secretary;  and  when  Mrs.  Hovey  resigned,  Mrs.  Gates  was  elected  to  fill 
her  place.  Her  winning  presence  and  eloquent  words  made  her  especially 
successful  in  presenting  the  cause  to  the  churches  ;  her  ready  sympathy  was 
a  cordial  to  the  hearts  of  the  missionaries  ;  and  her  pen  was  a  wand  which 
charmed  the  dry  twigs  of  annual  statistics  into  blossom  and  fragrance.  In 
1890,  the  duties  of  the  office  having  greatly  increased,  it  seemed  wise  to 
divide  the  work  by  appointing  a  Home  Secretary;  and  the  Society  was  so 
favored  as  to  secure  for  the  new  position  the  gifted  Mrs.  N.  M.  Waterbury, 
whose  experience  as  a  missionary  in  India  gives  her  peculiar  advantages. 
The  same  year  saw  the  resignation  of  Mrs.  Gates  accepted  with  regret. 
Mrs.  H.  G.  Safford,  her  successor,  though  more  widely  known  as  an  officer 
of  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  is  not  a  stranger 
to  the  foreign  work,  having  formerly  been  Association  Secretary  in  New 
Hampshire.  May  both  our  Secretaries  be  upheld  in  their  arduous  duties 
by  the  prayers  of  every  mission  circle.  “All  the  saints  salute  you.” 

In  1873,  Mrs.  Merrill,  who  as  Treasurer  had  given  time  and  strength 
without  stint,  found  it  necessary  to  resign  ;  and  Mrs.  J.  M.  S.  Williams  took 
her  place,  with  Miss  M.  E.  Clarke  as  assistant.  In  1879,  Mrs.  Williams 
asked  to  be  released  from  the  position  she  had  for  five  years  so  admirably 
filled;  and  Miss  Clarke  was  made  Treasurer,  Mrs.  Williams  being  trans 
ferred  to  the  Board,  upon  which  she  has  ever  since  faithfully  served..  The 
conscientious,  painstaking  labor  which  Miss  Clarke  has  for  all  these  years 
bestowed  upon  her  duties  deserves  our  warmest  appreciation. 

But  one  death  has  occurred  among  the  officers.  Mrs.  H.  S.  Chase,  of 
Boston,  a  director,  highly  esteemed  for  her  personal  character  and  her 
value  as  a  member  of  the  Board,  died  June  16,  1881.  We  would  like  to 
emphasize  the  fact,  not  perhaps  everywhere  understood,  that  no  officers  of 
the  Board  or  Society  receive  any  compensation  for  their  services,  — 
although  these  often  tax  time  and  strength  severely,  —  except  in  the  case  of 
Secretaries  and  Treasurer,  who  are  forced  to  devote  themselves  exclusively 
to  the  work.  The  faithfulness  of  the  Board  may  be  judged  from  the  fact 
that,  although  several  members  come  from  a  distance,  its  monthly  meetings, 
so  far  as  can  be  learned,  have  failed  of  a  quorum  but  once  in  the  twenty  years. 

We  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  the  self-sacrificing  efforts  of  the  State  and 


9 


Association  Secretaries,  without  whom  the  wheels  would  drag  heavily,  if 
indeed  there  would  be  any  wheels.  They  were  first  appointed  in  the  second 
year  of  the  Society  and  we  note  a  revival  of  interest  about  that  time. 
Truly,  what  is  recorded  of  the  first  missionary  to  the  Gentiles  may  apply 
also  to  them:  “  In  labors  more  abundantly,  in  journeyings  often,  in  watch¬ 
ings  often  and  they  might  add,  “beside  those  things  that  are  without, 
there  is  that  which  presseth  upon  me  daily,  — anxiety  for  all  the  churches.” 

Very  few  alterations  have  been  made  in  the  constitution.  A  society 
which  expects  to  control  funds  must  of  course  have  a  corporate  existence. 
Incorporation  accordingly  took  place  Oct.  7,  1874.  This  necessitated  the 
following  changes  :  the  substitution  of  the  term  Clerk  for  that  of  Recording 
Secretary,  the  President  and  Clerk  of  the  Society  becoming  also  President 
and  Clerk  of  the  Board.  An  amendment  to  the  constitution,  adopted  March 
4,  1879,  provides  for  a  Board  of  Directors  to  be  elected  in  three  equal  classes, 
one  class  going  out  of  office  at  each  annual  meeting.  Since  associations  of 
women  for  missionary  work  of  various  kinds  were  multiplying,  it  seemed 
advisable  to  insert  the  word  Foreign  in  the  title  of  the  Woman’s  Baptist 
Missionary  Society,  and  an  act  thus  to  amend  the  charter  was  approved 
March  14,  1882.  When  it  became  evident  that  the  growing  work  at  “the 
rooms  ”  would  require  the  division  of  the  duties  of  Secretary  into  home  and 
foreign,  and  the  services  of  two  ladies  instead  of  one,  the  word  Secretary 
was  changed  to  Secretaries. 

In  the  third  year  of  the  existence  of  the  Society  an  official  proposifion  to* 
combine  its  work  with  that  of  the  recently  organized  Woman’s  American 
Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  in  the  circles  formed  to  represent  the  first, 
drew  forth  a  minute  adopted  Nov.  16,  1878,  and  embodied  in  the  eighth 
report,  which  expressed  hearty  sympathy  with  the  cause  of  the  Home  Mis¬ 
sion  Society,  but  emphasized  the  conviction  that  a  union  would  be  unwise. 
It  was  believed  that  confusion  would  result,  that  gifts  would  be  divided  in¬ 
stead  of  doubled,  and  that  the  interests  of  both  societies  would  suffer. 

A  contingent  fund,  limited  to  five  thousand  dollars,  was  early  established, 
consisting  of  legacies  and  memorial  gifts,  the  interest  of  which  may  be  used 
annually,  and  also  in  emergencies  the  principal.  The  first  legacy  to  the 
Society  was  in  1874,  soon  after  its  incorporation,  and  came  from  Miss  Waity 
Mowry,  of  Providence,  R.  I.  The  largest,  received  in  1890,  was  from  the 
estate  of*Mrs.  Lucy  Huntington  Spooner,  of  Boston,  was  felt  to  be  in  direct 
answer  to  prayer,  and  has  already  averted  more  than  one  impending  deficit. 
The  only  deficit  of  any  amount  occurred  in  1884.  The  Board  had  struggled 
to  reconcile  meagre  receipts  on  the  one  hand  with  a  heathful  growth  of  the 


IO 


work  on  the  other;  but,  although  it  had  had  the  pain  of  disappointing  the 
hopes  of  many  a  missionary,  it  was  after  all  forced  to  come  up  to  its  annual 
feast  with  a  debt  of  nearly  eight  thousand  dollars.  This  was  met  by  special 
gifts  and  by  the  application  of  the  contingent  fund.  The  receipts  during 
the  first  year  of  the  society  were  nine  thousand  dollars.  For  the  prosecution 
of  the  work  during  the  year  which  has  just  closed,  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  were  asked,  and  one  hundred  and  two  thousand  have  been  received. 

The  attendance  at  the  annual  meeting  so  increased  that  it  soon  outgrew 
the  limits  of  the  largest  vestries,  until  now  only  the  audience  rooms  of  the 
most  spacious  churches  are  equal  to  the  demand.  A  single  day  being 
found  too  short  a  time  to  devote  to  it,  in  1876  the  exercises  were  extended 
over  two.  Like  the  genie  which  was  let  out  of  the  bottle  in  the  “  Arabian 
Night’s  ”  tale,  it  can  never  be  compressed  into  so  small  a  space  again. 
The  quarterly  gatherings  have  always  been  held  in  or  near  Boston  ;  but,  as 
the  geographical  limits  of  the  home  field  are  Maine  on  the  north,  Washing¬ 
ton  on  the  south,  and  the  borders  of  Ohio  on  the  west,  it  seemed  appro¬ 
priate  that  the  annual  meetings  be  held  in  different  parts  of  this  region. 
Accordingly  the  Society  convened  in  New  York  City  in  1878;  and  the 
church  on  West  53d  Street,  now  Church  of  the  Epiphany,  had  the  honor 
of  being  first  to  entertain  it  outside  its  birthplace.  The  tone  which  has 
characterized  these  occasions  has  always  been  a  most  delightful  one,  while 
their  deeply  spiritual  influence  has  greatly  enriched  the  experiences  of  those 
who  attended,  and,  like  the  ark  in  the  house  of  Obed-edom,  has  left  a  bless¬ 
ing  with  the  churches  in  which  they  were  held.  The  sessions  for  the  dis¬ 
cussion  of  questions  bearing  upon  the  work  of  State  and  Association 
Secretaries  have  been  suggestive  and  inspiring.  A  committee  of  conference 
meets  occasionally  to  consider  subjects  of  especial  importance. 

The  location  and  furnishings  of  a  woman’s  home  are  matters  of  great 
consequence  to  her.  They  are  scarcely  less  so  to  an  association  of  women. 
It  is  a  long  step  from  the  headquarters  of  the  Society  in  1872,  a  small  room 
in  Bedford  Street,  in  the  building  then  occupied  by  the  Union,  to  the  pres¬ 
ent  airy,  attractive  apartments  in  Tremont  Temple,  furnished  in  part  by 
especial  gifts,  radiant  with  the  presence  of  genial  women,  and  shedding 
light  and  inspiration  upon  all  the  missionary  workers,  who,  like  the  faithful 
of  old,  come  up  annually  with  their  offerings  to  the  “  Temple.” 

This  is  the  age  of  printer’s  ink.  Every  profession,  every  party,  every 
society,  has  its  accredited  publication.  The  Helping  Hand  and  the  King's 
Messengers  bear  to  the  work  of  the  cause  the  relation  which  sails  bear  to 
the  progress  of  a  vessel.  A  craft  which  carries  canvas  will  make  headway 


against  wind  and  tide  by  judiciously  modifying  her  course;  and  amissionary 
society  which  supports  attractive  periodicals,  well  spread  and  skilfully  man¬ 
aged,  will  gain  ground  in  spite  of  prejudice  and  indifference.  The  depart¬ 
ment  called  the  '■'Helping  Hand,”  and  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the 
Woman’s  Society,  which  at  first  appeared  in  the  “  Missionary  Magazine,” 
was,  two  years  later,  transferred  to  the  Macedonian  ;  and  in  four  years  more 
that  paper,  becoming  the  property  of  our  Society,  assumed  the  name  of 
Helping  Hand.  For  the  past  seventeen  years  it  has  been  ably  edited  by 
Mrs.  C.  W.  Train.  The  division  representing  the  interests  of  the  Society 
of  the  West,  and  managed  by  Mrs.  E.  W.  Brayman,  Associate  Editor,  gives 
the  added  privilege  of  an  outlook  upon  that  field,  with  words  from  its  mis¬ 
sionaries.  The  columns  devoted  to  our  young  ladies  at  the  East  and  to  the 
Tem  jle  Builders  at  the  West  link  us  to  our  younger  sisters,  who  are  bring¬ 
ing  their  offerings  of  talent,  of  culture,  and  of  social  influence,  for  the 
adornment  of  the  temple  of  the  Most  High.  We  believe  that  this  unpre¬ 
tentious  little  sheet  is  doing  a  threefold  work  for  those  who  faithfully  read 
it ;  broadening  them  mentally,  inspiring  them  morally,  and  uplifting  them 
spiritually.  A  certain  pastor  is  accustomed  to  place  in  the  hands  of  every 
woman  whom  he  baptizes  specimens  of  the  missionary  literature  of  her 
denomination,  that  she  may  feel  that  her  entrance  into  the  church  means 
also  entrance  into  the  work  for  which  the  church  was  instituted.  All 
pastors,  alas,  are  not  so  faithful ;  but  ought  there  not  everywhere  to  be  some 
woman  ready  to  put  in  her  sling  this  small  opportunity  which  shall  cleave 
the  front  of  that  monster,  anti-mission  prejudice,  which  defies  the  armies 
of  the  living  God  ? 

Our  sisters  were  not  so  short-sighted  as  to  furnish  missionary  reading 
for  adults  alone.  While  the  Helping  Hand  was  only  a  part  of  the  Mace¬ 
donian,  one  page  of  its  limited  space  was  reserved  for  the  Little  Helpers. 
This  arrangement  was  continued  after  the  Helping  Hand  took  on  a  separate 
existence,  until,  in  1883,  Little  Helpers,  in  a  dainty  rose-hued  garb,  began 
to  run  alone.  The  need  of  a  publication  for  older  boys  and  girls  was  soon 
felt;  and  four  years  later  the  King's  MessengersLto  Heathen  Lands,  also 
under  the  editorial  direction  of  Mrs.  Train,  appeared,  and  Little  Helpers 
became  a  younger  department  in  that.  If  this  charming  little  paper,  with 
its  carefully  prepared  missionary  lessons,  could  be  in  every  Sunday-school, 
if  our  “  Portfolios  ”  could  be  in  every  band,  and  our  game  of  “  Missionary 
Pioneers”  in  every  household,  surely  there  would  be  no  excuse  for  igno¬ 
rance  of  missijnary  matters  in  the  next  generation. 

The  Society  prints  also  a  Monthly  Letter  from  some  one  of  our  mission- 


aries,  for  the  use  of  circles,  as  well  as  the  “  Studies  in  Baptist  Missions,’" 
published  also  in  Chicago  ;  furnishes  mite-boxes  free  to  all  who  will  use  them  : 
sells  the  Prayer  Calendar,  gotten  up  in  Philadelphia;  and  issues  a  con¬ 
stantly  increasing  stream  of  pamphlets  and  leaflets  to  suit  all  needs. 

More  has  been  done  for  the  m  ssionary  education  of  the  young  than 
simply  to  prepare  appropriate  studies.  Much  thought  and  labor  has  been 
expended  upon  the  organization,  training,  and  direction  of  mission  bands  ; 
and  not  only  has  a  love  for  the  cause  been  implanted  in  childish  hearts,  but 
thousands  of  dollars  have  been  brought  into  the  treasury.  The  first  gift 
recorded  from  this  source  was  in  1871,  from  the  Alice  Charline  Band,  New¬ 
ton  Centre,  Mass.,  named  in  memory  of  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Thos.  Nickerson. 

The  mention  of  Newton  Centre  reminds  us  of  another  enterprise,  appeal¬ 
ing  equally  to  women,  and  equally  appropriate  to  be  accomplished  through 
the  efforts  of  our  Woman’s  Society.  Since  Mrs.  Comstock's  agonized 
farewell  to  her  little  ones  passed  into  missionary  literature,  many  a  mother’s 
mind  has  been  tortured  by  the  alternatives  of  keeping  her  children  in  a 
heathen  land,  to  the  injury  of  health,  intelligence,  and  morals;  of  returning 
with  them  to  this  country,  and  leaving  her  husband  to  years  of  lonely  toil ; 
or  of  trusting  them  to  the  uncertain  influence  of  strangers,  or  perhaps  of 
injudicious  friends.  In  order  to  provide  for  such  cases,  a  Home  for  the 
Children  of  Missionaries  was  established  by  the  Society  at  Newton  Centre, 
in  1880,  in  a  house  not  inappropriate  for  children  wh  >  were  a  link  between 
two  lands,  since  it  had  been  the  residence  of  the  author  of  “  America,” 
and  of  “The  Morning  Light  is  Breaking.”  A  matron  was  of  course  nec¬ 
essary  ;  but  where  could  one  expect  to  find  such  a  marvel  of  wisdom, 
patience,  and  tact,  as  she  would  need  to  be?  But  the  Lord  knew,  and  He 
sent  us  Mrs.  McKinlay.  One  missionary  mother  declares  that  to  commit 
her  dear  ones  to  such  care  took  away  half  the  parting  pang,  and  many 
other  parents  have  expressed  their  relief  and  satistaction. 

The  house,  not  being  so  elastic  as  the  heart  of  the  matron,  soon  became 
overcrowded  ;  and  it  was  decided  to  build,  funds  for  that  purpose  being  con¬ 
tributed  by  friends.  A  committee  of  ladies  from  the  Board  gave  careful 
oversight  while  the  building  was  in  process  of  erection;  and  when,  in  1882, 
the  little  family  moved  into  its  tasteful  home,  it  was  found  to  be  in  every 
way  suited  to  its  purpose.  In  1890  alteration  and  enlargement  became 
again  imperative :  and,  the  necessary  expense  amounting  to  over  four  thousand 
dollars,  gifts  were  called  for.  One  thousand  dollars  came  from  Mr.  Rocke¬ 
feller;  while  Mrs.  Gardner  Colby,  who  has  always  been  foremost  among  the 
friends  of  the  institution,  gave  two  thousand  dollars,  refusing  to  permit  it  to 


13 


be  called  by  her  name.  The  house  will  now  accommodate  twenty-five  chil¬ 
dren  at  a  time.  The  whole  number  which  has  been  received  since  its  open¬ 
ing  is  thirty  ;  and  all  old  enough  to  intelligently  respond  to  the  voice  of  the 
Good  Shepherd  have  been  gathered  into  the  fold. 

The  parents  pay  for  board,  clothing,  and  all  personal  expenses  of  their 
children,  while  the  Society  provides  the  salary  of  the  matron  and  the  domes¬ 
tic  service.  As  no  money  contributed  for  the  general  work  can  be  used  for 
this  object,  the  expenses  must  be  met  by  especial  contributions.  If,  as  was 
hoped,  each  of  our  Sunday-schools  would  appropriate  one  Sabbath’s  collec¬ 
tion  a  year  to  the  Home  the  entire  amount  would  be  covered.  What  could 
be  more  appropriate  than  such  a  thank-offering  from  children  upon  whom 
no  such  shadow  of  separation  has  ever  fallen  ?  It  was  suggested  by  the 
ladies  of  the  Long  Island  Association  that  an  endowment  fund  be  raised. 
It  has  since  been  voted  to  make  this  thirty  thousand  dollars  ;  but  only  a 
little  over  two  thousand  dollars  has  been  received,  much  of  which  came  from 
the  ladies  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  We  have  many  homes  in  which  little  ones 
have  been  laid  to  sleep  for  the  last  time. 

“There  is  no  flock,  however  watched  and  tended, 

But  one  dead  lamb  is  there.” 

Ah  !  if  all  these  mourning  fathers  and  mothers  would  unite  their  gifts  to 
make  this  Home  self-supporting,  what  a  blessed  memorial  of  those  who  are 
safe  in  the  House  of  Many  Mansions,  and  what  a  precious  offering  to  Him 
who  had  not  where  to  lay  His  head  ! 

We  have  said  that  there  are  two  departments  of  the  home  work  which 
appeal  particularly  to  women  ;  the  missionary  education  of  the  young,  and 
the  institution  we  have  just  described.  There  is  likewise  in  the  foreign 
department  a  need  which  should  especially  call  out  their  sympathies.  The 
unspeakable  atrocities  perpetrated  in  the  name  of  medicine  upon  our  sisters 
in  Burma  and  China,  the  silent  agonies  of  the  zenanas  in  India, — surely 
these  are  enough  to  touch  the  hearts  of  all  the  “  uninterested  ”  women  in 
our  churches.  Missionary  physicians  can  reach  the  heathen  when  others 
fail,  and  a  hospital  will  often  make  as  many  converts  as  a  church.  There 
had  long  been  a  call  for  medical  ladies  to  render  assistance  in  our  mission¬ 
ary  families,  to  minister,  to  heathen  women  who  never  before  knew  the 
meaning  of  tender  care,  and  to  teach  native  mothers  the  laws  of  health  and 
right  living.  In  1878  this  call  was  echoed  by  the  Board,  and  to  Dr.  Ellen 
E.  Mitchell  belongs  the  honor  of  first  responding.  For  eight  and  one  half 
years  she  labored  continuously  in  Burma,  travelling  from  place  to  place  as 


14 


her  services  were  required,  prescribing  and  compounding  in  her  dispensary, 
nursing  the  sick  in  her  hospital,  and  everywhere  bearing  about  with  her  the 
dying  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  For  several  years,  by  an  economy  which  is  a 
reproach  to  us  at  home,  she  paid  the  expenses  of  the  work,  and  returned 
the  amount  of  her  appropriations  into  the  treasury. 

Although  Dr.  M.  C.  Douglass  has  for  several  years  been  in  charge  of  the 
Lady  Dufferin  Hospital  at  Rangoon,  and  now,  worn  out  with  overwork,  has 
returned  to  this  country,  we  cannot  forget  the  excellent  service  she  ren¬ 
dered  while  connected  with  this  Society. 

Dr.  Mary  L.  Van  Meter,  after  years  of  patient  and  self-sacrificing  effort 
to  fit  herself  for  her  life-work,  went  out  to  Burma  as  our  representative  in 
1885.  In  the  following  year  she  became  the  wife  of  Rev.  E.  W.  Kelly  ; 
but  she  has  a  hospital  building  at  Mandalay,  and  continues  the  work  of  heal¬ 
ing  as  she  has  opportunity. 

Dr.  Emma  J.  Cummings  was  sent  to  India  in  1886.  During  her  first 
summer  she  stayed  at  her  post  in  the  terrific  heat  of  Bapatla,  leading  meetings, 
training  Bible-women,  studying  the  language,  practising  medicine,  and  super¬ 
intending  the  mission  press.  She  treated  that  year  six  hundred  patients, 
out  of  which  she  lost  but  five,  and  these  were  the  victims  of  heathen  mal¬ 
practice.  She  has  now  a  convenient  dispensary  at  Ramapatam,  and  her 
efforts  have  been  blessed  not  only  to  the  healing  of  bodies,  but  to  the  salva¬ 
tion  of  souls. 

Mrs.  Morrow  has  a  hospital  connected  with  her  boys’  school  at  Tavoy ; 
Mrs.  E.  O.  Stevens  has  done  much  in  this  line  of  work;  most  of  our  mis¬ 
sionaries  have  some  knowledge  of  materia  medica ,  and  there  are  small 
hospital  attachments  at  many  of  our  schools. 

One  of  the  missionaries  of  the  Union  recently  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that 
education  must  hold  the  foremost  place  in  future  missionary  efforts,  if  they 
are  not  to  be  as  “  water  spilt  on  the  ground,  which  cannot  be  gathered  up.” 
Many  years  ago,  the  native  preacher,  Sau  qua-la,  baptized  six  hundred 
Karens  at  Toungoo,  Burma,  out  of  twelve  hundred  applicants  ;  but  these 
converts  could  not  read  the  Bible,  and,  being  unable  to  give  a  reason  for  the 
faith  that  was  in  them,  were  proselyted  by  the  Romanists  and  led  away  by 
false  teachers.  The  churches  organized  by  Mr.  Comstock  in  Arracan  died 
out  when  the  missionaries  were  obliged  to  leave,  largely  for  want  of  sys¬ 
tematic  education.  The  same  danger,  we  are  told,  threatens  the  magnificent 
work  among  the  Telugus,  unless  the  Baptists  at  home  begin  soon  to  realize 
that  “to  whom  much  is  given,  of  him  also  shall  much  be  required.”  With 
the  exception  of  Rangoon  College  and  the  theological  institutions,  the  funds 


*5 


for  schools  are  furnished  by  the  woman’s  societies.  Two  of  our  school 
buildings  in  Japan  bear  honored  names  :  one,  the  Sarah  Curtis  Home,  in 
Tokyo,  is  a  memorial  of  a  lamented  State  Secretary  of  Maine;  the  other,  in 
process  of  erection  at  Yokohama,  is  to  bi  called  the  Mary  L.  Colby  Home, 
for  our  first  President. 

Our  native  Bible-women  are  an  important  feature  of  our  work.  We  thank 
God  for  the  faithfulness  of  many  of  them,  for  their  perseverance  and  for 
their  steadfastness  under  cruel  persecutions.  Some  of  those  who  are  wives 
of  preachers  have  taken  the  entire  course  of  theological  training  with  their 
husbands,  that  they  may  be  more  thoroughly  equipped.  Some  in  China 
have  suffered  the  agony  of  having  their  feet  unbound,  that  they  may  carry 
the  glad  tidings  more  swiftly.  Many  walk  miles  under  a  burning  sun  to 
tell  the  good  news,  and  patiently  endure  the  abuse  and  contempt  which  is 
their  only  return.  Many  cheerfully  exchange  comfort  for  poverty,  and 
many  are  beaten  and  reviled  and  cast  out  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
Truly,  the  work  that  has  been  wrought  in  these  women  is  a  glorious  testi¬ 
mony  to  the  power  of  the  Gospel. 

We  read  that  when  the  apostles  returned  from  their  first  tour  of  preach¬ 
ing,  healing,  and  casting  out  devils,  Christ,  realizing  the  physical  and  mental 
strain  which  such  work  imposes,  said  to  them,  “Come  ye  yourselves  apait 
into  a  desert  place  and  rest  awhile  ”  ;  for,  adds  the  narrator,  “there  were 
many  coming  and  going,  and  they  had  no  leisure  so  much  as  to  eat.”  How 
perfectly  these  words  describe  the  circumstances  of  most  of  our  mission¬ 
aries  :  overwork,  care  by  night  and  by  day,  no  place  really  safe  from  intru¬ 
sion,  no  hour  which  they  can  surely  call  their  own.  It  is  not  strange  that 
at  last  nature  protests,  and  the  missionary  hears  that  sentence  which  is  to 
her  the  death  knell  of  her  work  :  “You  must  go  home  at  once.”  Our  ladies, 
knowing  by  experience  the  value  of  even  a  week  of  summer  vacation,  bought 
a  tiny  thatched  cottage  at  Monmagon,  near  Tavoy,  Burma,  delightfully  situ¬ 
ated  between  the  mountains  and  the  sea,  and  costing  about  one  tenth  of  the 
sum  that  would  be  required  to  take  one  of  these  exhausted  workers  to 
America  and  back  again.  In  1884,  the  cottage  needing  extensive  repairs, 
the  Board  decided  to  build,  and  erected  a  more  commodious  and  convenient 
house.  Here  brains  tortured  by  the  heat  of  the  tropics  are  refreshed  by  de¬ 
licious  coolness.  Here  a  woman,  tired  of  the  “many  coming  and  going,” 
with  their  constant  drain  upon  the  sympathies,  may,  as  she  picks  up  shells 
on  the  fine  beach  a  few  steps  from  her  door,  fancy  herself,  as  one  of  them 
actually  did,  upon  a  desert  island.  On  the  one  side  are  the  mountains,  to 
remind  them  that,  “as  the  mountains  are  round  about  Jerusalem,  so  the 


i6 


Lord  is  round  about  his  people  ” ;  and  on  the  other  the  ocean,  to  call  to  their 
remembrance  the  promise  that  “the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  shall  cover  the 
earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.” 

We  have  sent  representatives  to  Burma,  India,  Assam,  China,  Japan,  and 
Africa,  and  we  have  employed  workers  in  three  European  countries.  We 
regret  to  say  that,  until  the  departure  of  Misses  Young  and  Righter,  in  1888, 
we  had  never  personally  offered  the  Gospel  to  the  millions  of  unhappy 
women  in  China.  “  What  are  these  among  so  many  ?  ”  May  He  who  mul¬ 
tiplied  the  loaves  and  fishes  so  add  to  the  efficiency  of  the  efforts  of  our 
sisters  that  they  may  be  able  to  give  the  bread  of  life  to  thousands.  Our 
first  African  mission  was  in  Liberia,  where  for  several  years  we  supported 
the  widow  of  a  native  preacher  in  her  work  of  evangelization.  Of  our  noble 
corps  of  missionaries  upon  the  Congo,  one  is  the  fruit  of  the  labors  of  the 
Woman’s  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  among  the  colored  peo¬ 
ple  at  the  South. 

We  have  grown  familiar  with  the  representation  of  “  Liberty  Enlightening 
the  World,”  —  the  gift  of  France  to  her  sister  republic.  Are  we  equally 
familiar  with  the  obligation  of  the  women  of  America  to  give  the  true  light 
to  the  women  of  France?  We  have  in  that  country,  since  the  death  of 
Madame  Jaume,  four  Bible-workers,  who  carry  on  Sunday-schools,  mothers’ 
meetings,  sewing-classes,  and  one  evening  school  for  shop  girls.  May  we 
not  hope  that  those  of  us  who  visit  Paris  will  spare  a  little  time  from  the 
fascinations  of  the  Madeleine  and  Notre  Dame  to  attend  the  chapels  of  our 
own  faith,  and  cheer  the  hearts  of  the  toilers  there?  And  will  not  those 
who  desire  to  aid  the  evangelization  of  France,  remember  that  their  own 
denomination  is  doing  a  work  there  which  should  claim  their  first  gifts? 

That  many  of  the  Swedes  who  come  to  this  country  are  Baptists,  is  due 
to  the  success  which  has  attended  the  labors  of  the  Missionary  Union  in 
their  land,  in  which  we  have  been  happy  to  bear  a  part,  through  our  earnest 
workers,  Misses  Olssen  and  Askerlund. 

Since  its  organization  the  Society  has  sent  into  the  field  75  missionaries. 
It  is  now  supporting  56  missionaries  and  91  Bible-women.  It  carries  on 
185  schools,  containing  6,657  pupils.  In  1890-91,  161  baptisms  were  reported. 
During  its  first  ten  years  $331,110.92  were  raised,  including  donations  to  the 
Home  for  Children  of  Missionaries.  During  the  last  ten  years  $612,549.99 
have  been  received,  making  a  total  of  $1,047,667.19. 

As  a  matter  of  convenience,  as  well  as  for  the  sake  of  economy  and 
efficiency,  it  was  determined  from  the  first  that  the  Society  should  act  as  a 
branch  of  the  Missionary  Lfnion,  with  an  individual  work,  rather  than  as  an 


1 7 


independent  body  with  distinct  interests.  It  was  not  desired  that  the 
women  in  our  churches  should  lessen  their  gifts  to  the  Union,  of  whose 
constituency  they  formed  so  large  a  part;  but  that  they  should  lay  aside  at 
least  two  cents  a  week,  as  an  additional  thank-offering,  and  an  especial  gift  to 
'their  less  fortunate  sisters  in  heathen  lands.  It  was  believed  that  the  work 
of  the  older  Society  would  be  broadened  and  rendered  more  effective  by 
this  step.  The  experience  of  the  past  twenty  years  has  borne  out  this 
expectation.  A  careful  comparison  of  statistics  proves  that,  on  the  whole, 
funds  have  not,  as  some  of  our  anxious  brethren  feared,  been  diverted  from 
the  treasury  of  the  Union  to  that  of  the  Woman’s  Society.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Woman's  Society  has  gradually  shouldered  the  burden  of  the 
school  work ;  it  has  aided  enterprises  for  which  the  overtaxed  resources  of  the 
Union  were  insufficient ;  it  has  assumed  the  support,  in  some  cases,  of  the 
widows  of  missionaries ;  it  has  erected  a  home  for  the  children  of  mission¬ 
aries,  and  a  sanatarium  for  missionaries  themselves  ;  it  has  laid  the  founda¬ 
tions  for  the  work  of  the  future  by  instructing  the  young  ;  it  has  scattered 
attractive  missionary  literature  over  the  land;  and  it  has  done  more,  perhaps, 
than  any  other  agency,  to  arouse  an  intelligent  interest  in  the  general  cause. 

M  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his 
friends.”  Ten  of  our  missionaries  have  in  these  twenty  years  laid  down 
their  lives  in  the  service.  Of  these,  six  were  taken  from  their  work  when  it 
was  but  just  begun.  Miss  M.  C.  Manning,  sent  out  in  1874,  assisted  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Carpenter  at  Bassein,  Burma;  but  injuries  resulting  from  a  fall 
compelled  her  return  in  1877,  and  two  years  later  she  was  called  to  her 
heavenly  home.  Miss  Myra  H.  Stetson  went  to  be  associated  with  Miss 
Haswellin  Maulmein,  Burma,  in  1875.  A  fatal  cold  taken  on  the  voyage, 
a  year’s  struggle  with  disease,  and  she  came  back  to  die.  Mrs.  Dorothea 
Estabrooks,  the  first  married  woman  supported  by  our  Society,  was  assigned 
with  her  husband  to  the  Eurasian  work  at  Maulmein  in  1875,  and  died  in 
1878.  Mrs.  Hattie  Jewett  Nichols,  who  rejoined  her  parents  in  India,  the 
land  of  her  birth,  in  1878,  being  soon  left  a  widow,  was  adopted  by  the 
Woman’s  Society.  She  survived  her  husband,  however,  only  a  year,  dying 
in  1881.  Miss  Clara  J.  Bromley  succeeded,  at  the  cost  of  much  effort  and 
self-denial,  in  educating  herself  to  be  a  missionary  ;  but  only  four  years  after 
her  designation  to  Prome,  Burma,  she  found  that  her  life-work  was  over. 
Miss  Mary  E,  Rockwood’s  labors  among  the  Shans  at  Toungoo,  Burma, 
were  still  briefer;  appointed  in  1880,  she  died  of  fever  in  1882.  Shall  we 
call  these  precious  lives  wasted?  Let  those  answer  who  knew  Miss  Man¬ 
ning’s  consecrated  spirit,  who  noted  Miss  Stetson’s  Christlike  resignation, 


1 8 


who  were  familiar  with  the  characters  of  Mrs.  Estabrooks  and  Mrs.  Nichols, 
who  felt  the  sunny  serenity  with  which  brave  Miss  Bromley  met  trials 
seemingly  unendurable,  and  who  have  marked  the  traces  of  Miss  Hock- 
wood’s  strong,  sweet  nature  on  the  field  which  mourns  her. 

While  these  of  whom  we  have  spoken  were  not  permitted  to  see  the  ripen¬ 
ing  of  the  seed  they  had  sown,  others  tarried  long  and  thrust  the  sickle  deep 
into  the  harvest.  Mrs.  jane  M.  Haswell  spent  nearly  fifty  years  in  Burma. 
When  in  her  seventieth  year,  she  finished  the  revision  of  the  Talign  trans¬ 
lation  of  the  Scriptures,  which  Mr.  Haswell,  through  her  as  amanuensis, 
accomplished  after  he  had  become  helpless.  Whether  we  think  of  her  as 
establishing  the  school  at  Amherst,  or  as  ministering  to  the  exhausted 
workers  to  whom  her  doors  were  always  open,  or  as  bending  to  catch  from 
the  palsied  lips  of  her  husband  the  whispered  words  of  the  translation  which 
was  to  give  the  words  of  life  to  a  neglected  people,  we  are  grateful  that  a 
part  of  her  half-century  of  service  was  passed  under  the  auspices  of  our 
Society. 

Mrs.  Rosa  Adams  Bailey,  enthusiastic  in  her  work,  wise  to  plan,  and  en¬ 
ergetic  to  carryout  her  plans,  seemed  indispensable  to  the  Burman  mission 
at  Zigon.  In  1879,  cholera  broke  out  at  her  station,  but  Mrs.  Bailey  refused 
to  leave  her  people.  When  at  last  persuaded  to  do  so,  it  was  too  late,  and 
she  paid  the  penalty  of  an  over-courageous  spirit  with  her  life. 

It  is  with  mingled  feelings  of  admiration  and  of  grief  that  we  turn  to  the 
work  of  Miss  Lydia  Evelyn  Rathbun, — admiration  for  the  noble  qualities  of 
mind  and  character  which  made  it  possible,  and  grief  that  it  was  cut  off  by 
an  unnecessary  sacrifice.  Miss  Rathbun  was  sent  out  in  1877  to  the  girls’ 
school  at  Kemendine,  Burma,  which  for  six  years  had  the  benefit  of  her 
unusual  ability  as  a  teacher.  When  Upper  Burma  was  thrown  open,  she 
was  among  the  first  to  volunteer  for  pioneer  labor,  and  was  transferred  to 
Mandalay.  Here  she  set  about  establishing  a  school  for  boys  and  girls  ; 
and,  out  of  discouragements  and  difficulties  well-nigh  insurmountable,  she 
brought  at  length  a  well-organized,  successful  institution.  It  was  said  of 
her  that  she  left  the  impress  of  her  strong  character  on  everything  that  she 
touched.  Our  Society  erected  a  building  for  her,  but  nearly  half  the  cost 
was  saved  from  her  personal  appropriations  by  the  most  rigid  economy  ; 
“  and  this  economy,”  she  wrote,  “I  must  continue  till  the  end  of  the  year.” 
Alas  !  over-exertion  had  already  done  its  work,  and  the  end  of  her  self-denial 
was  nearer  than  she  knew.  In  October,  1888,  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever 
brought  this  invaluable  life  to  a  close.  Is  there  no  touch  of  bitterness  in 
this  story  for  us  who  have  been  “  at  ease  in  Zion  ”  ? 


i9 


Mrs.  Jennie  B.  Kelley’s  history  is  a  record  of  heroism.  Although  when 
converted  she  began  at  once  to  engage  in  all  kinds  of  Christian  work  at 
home,  her  constant  prayer  was,  “  Lord,  send  me  to  the  heathen  ;  ”  but  when 
with  her  husband  she  sailed  for  the  Shan  Mission  at  Toungoo,  Burma,  some 
whispered  that  the  work  of  that  fragile  woman  would  be  brief.  We  know 
how  Mr.  Kelley  was  drowned  a  year  after  his  arrival,  and  how,  in  two  years 
more,  the  widow,  having  buried  two  children,  returned  in  broken  health. 
Was  this  God’s  answer  to  the  prayer  of  her  life  ?  Perhaps,  if  she  had 
chosen  to  accept  it  as  such.  As  soon  as  she  was  able  she  began  a  four- 
years  course  in  medicine,  which  was  supplemented  by  a  term  at  Newton 
Theological  Seminary;  and  in  1880  the  Woman’s  Society  sent  her  back  to 
Burma.  Becoming  proficient  in  the  Shan  language,  she  gave  the  remainder 
of  her  life  to  this  people.  Far  from  all  white  helpers  she  toiled  on  alone, 
evangelizing,  gathering  schools,  and  dispensing  medicines,  till  overtaken  by 
fatal  disease.  The  erection  of  a  house  and  a  chapel  was  her  cherished 
plan.  She  stood  by  her  post  during  months  of  terrible  suffering,  and  not 
till  she  had  seen  the  bell  hung  in  the  chapel  where  she  would  never  worship, 
and  the  house  completed  which  was  to  shelter  the  missionary  who  should 
reap  where  she  had  sown,  would  she  consent  to  leave.  She  entered  into 
rest  in  December,  1889. 

When  a  worn-out  soldier  drops  on  the  march,  the  ranks  must  close  up. 
When  a  standard-bearer  falls  in  battle,  another  hand  must  snatch  the  colors 
from  the  dust.  There  is  scant  time  for  tears  while  the  destinies  of  nations 
tremble  in  the  balance.  What  is,  then,  the  duty  of  the  hour?  As  we  look 
backward,  what  lesson  comes  to  us  from  the  past  ?  As  we  face  the  future, 
what  obligation  does  it  bear?  My  sisters,  do  we  realize  that  those  women 
whom  we  have  sent  out  to  do  battle  with  heathenism  are  our  representa¬ 
tives,  that  we  are  solemnly  pledged  to  support  them  by  our  gifts,  to  encour¬ 
age  them  by  our  sympathy,  to  uphold  them  by  our  prayers  ?  Regrets  will 
not  restore  to  us  the  opportunities  lost  by  our  indifference,  or  the  precious 
lives  sacrificed  through  our  selfishness.  When  the  angel  troubles  the 
waters  of  opportunity,  must  our  missionaries,  crippled  in  resources  and 
without  the  sympathetic  support  of  those  at  home,  always  see  some  other 
denomination  stepping  down  before  them?  The  women  in  our  churches 
have  the  history  of  the  next  twenty  years  of  this  Society  in  their  own  hands. 
They  can  make  the  record  one  of  blessed  achievement,  or  of  bitter  dis¬ 
appointment. 

“  Send  forth  thy  sickle  and  reap,  for  the  hour  to  reap  is  come  ;  for  the 
harvest  of  the  earth  is  over-ripe.” 


